Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is facing unprecedented local anger, street protests and calls for his resignation for his decision last week to temporarily withhold support for a U.N. report on the Israeli assault on Gaza, which killed nearly 1,400 Palestinians. Abbas’ decision was made under heavy “pressure” from the Obama administration since the report could lead to war crimes charges for Israeli officials and complicate peace talks, Israeli and Palestinian officials told the AP.

Peace prospects got a boost last month when the leaders of Palestine and Israel shook hands in a historic three-way meeting with Obama on the sidelines of U.N. General Assembly meetings. "Simply put, it is past time to talk about starting negotiations. It is time to move forward," the president had said as he met with Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.